


Of Sunshine and Rainbows

by gonexspace



Category: The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Compliant, Canon Rewrite, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Idols, Ji Changmin | Q-centric, M/M, Mentioned The Boyz Ensemble, Pining, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Sunwoo screwed up right from the start
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:01:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27914224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gonexspace/pseuds/gonexspace
Summary: Ask Changmin anything about the tiny, bright yellow sun under his collarbone and he'd say it's a tattoo. One he'd received on a drunken summer's night during his school days that he somehow had no recollection of. But in truth, it was his soulmate mark: a secret he had hidden from everyone - his members, his fans and the public - ever since his 19th birthday.Changmin wasn't always so pessimistic about the whole soulmates concept. He had been blessed with parents that were perfect soulmate matches, born and raised in a happy family. Like many other children, hearing about soulmates and destiny was thrilling - some sort of fairytale ending that he wanted so desperately for himself as well. Why had his opinion on soulmates changed so drastically? Well, the reason was none other than his fellow member of The Boyz, Kim Sunwoo.
Relationships: Bae Joonyoung | Jacob & Ji Changmin | Q, Ji Changmin | Q & Everyone, Ji Changmin | Q/Kim Sunwoo
Comments: 22
Kudos: 122





	1. The sun disappears behind the dark clouds

**Author's Note:**

> For TBZ's 3rd anniversary.

Soulmates.

It was a word that Changmin heard often in his childhood. His parents were soulmates and they often told him stories about the fifty percent of the population who would be born with a soulmate mark that only appeared the moment the individual hit 19 years of age. In Korea, only a select few would know of this or even be lucky enough to meet and end up with their soulmates. There were even strict laws protecting the albeit small population of those with soulmate marks - one could physically cover their soulmate mark, but could never permanently distort with tattoos, or have tattoos mimicking others’ soulmate marks. 

Changmin grew up listening to his parents telling him about being soulmates - that it was like fate, a certain  _ something _ pulling them together and they could not imagine being with someone else. Changmin was really grateful his parents had met this way and he fervently hoped his marriage would work the same way. 

But as he grew older, there were more stories about how those with soulmate marks eventually fell in love with others and even when they met their soulmates, nothing was as fairytale-perfect as his parents’ own love story. Of course, Changmin didn’t give up hope. But he did begin to accept that perhaps soulmates weren’t all there was to love. If he didn’t have a soulmate mark, he could still have as beautiful a relationship with whoever he fell in love with, regardless of whether they were destined or not. And that was beautiful too.

The day of his 19th birthday, he hurried to the company after his classes for his dance lessons. He had been a trainee for a few years now - being an idol was something he had always dreamed of ever since he started dancing. Given how  _ late _ he was about to become, Changmin hadn’t spared a thought to worry about his soulmate mark at all. His parents would certainly ask him about it as they celebrated his birthday when he got home, anyway.

After a quick greeting to his fellow trainees, Changmin cast his bag aside and hurried to the bathroom to change. He shrugged off his school uniform and quickly exchanged it for a more comfortable pair of sweatpants. As he shrugged on his shirt however, a flash of colour from under his collarbone caught his eye in the mirror.

Is this…

Changmin pulled his collar aside, to reveal a fresh new soulmate mark staring back at him.

It was a tiny sun, painted the prettiest shade of yellow, nestled prettily under the curve of his left collarbone. The mark was small enough to be just barely visible, covered nicely by his shirt. Changmin was even surprised he himself had noticed it. 

Ah, so he had a soulmate...Changmin bit back the grin that slowly fought its way to his face. 

He had a soulmate!

Giddy with excitement, Changmin pushed his collar back in place to cover up his new mark and practically skipped to dance practice.

“Changmin, you’re finally here!” Juyeon called, waving him over. His same-age friend was still pretty new to the company, but they had quickly grown closer after dancing together for several of their monthly assessments. “What’s with that grin on your face? Got a new girlfriend?” 

Changmin rolled his eyes, thumping Juyeon on the shoulder but still failing to wipe the smile stretching across his face. “No, I wish. What’s up?”

“Minjae hyung was just telling us about soulmates! Apparently his family has so many stories about ill-fated soulmates who ended up with broken hearts…” Juyeon explained, motioning over to an older trainee.

Changmin took interest - he had only ever heard about the topic from his parents, who had an almost fairytale-like ending. He thought it would be interesting to find out more about the opposites and why true soulmate relationships were so rare in Korea. But as he listened, Changmin could feel his face get paler. 

With every story that their senior shared, Changmin could begin to understand. There were so many cases of soulmates falling for others before they even found each other, that it seemed being destined for someone you had no idea when you were to meet was simply not worth it anymore. Those with the soulmate mark often covered it up with wristbands or clothing so it would not ruin their chances at dating. 

Suddenly, Changmin felt rather self-conscious about the tiny sun underneath his collarbone. 

This...was not like what he had imagined at all.

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

Changmin and Juyeon finally debuted together as The Boyz, along with 10 of their fellow trainees. 

Since his 19th birthday, Changmin never told anyone else outside of his family about his soulmate mark. His sisters had been jealous - they weren’t lucky (or unlucky) enough to have their own marks - but had also warned him about everything they had heard. Despite his parents’ joy for him, Changmin couldn’t help but feel that this was just part of his misfortune. As an idol, if anyone found out about his mark, they would probably try to fake it to trick him. Not to mention, he didn’t want to get his heart ripped apart by believing in ‘destiny’ either…

So, when they were in a rush to change and Changmin couldn’t hide it from anyone, he simply told them that he simply got a cute tattoo when he was younger. He often hid it from the public eye too, underneath collared shirts and turtlenecks. It was especially important for celebrities or idols to cover their mark, in case some crazy or desperate ‘fans’ broke the laws to mimic their soulmate marks just to force their target into a relationship. To his knowledge, no one in his team had a soulmate mark either or at least, none of the older ones did.

Their team always celebrated birthdays together and every 19th birthday, they would huddle around the younger member and see if they had a new soulmate mark or not. The 12 of them were practically family, anyway - Changmin was simply a private person and preferred to keep his concerns to himself. Haknyeon and Hyunjoon’s birthdays passed without a hitch. None of them had soulmate marks and Changmin was beginning to doubt the 50% statistic. 

Then, April 12 came. 

Sunwoo’s 19th birthday.

They were in the middle of their Giddy Up promotions and quickly put together a surprise birthday celebration for their next youngest member during their midnight practice. 

Changmin and Sunwoo had always been close, even before their debut. They often practiced and played together as trainees, growing to become even closer friends when they finally got into the same team. Changmin was certainly curious if his dongsaeng would have a soulmate or not. He wasn’t sure if he wished Sunwoo would have one, but it would certainly be interesting if he did. He might even be able to finally confide in someone else. 

When the door to the training room swung open, they found Sunwoo pacing around in the training room, mumbling on the phone with someone else. It was a little awkward, since their entire plan was supposed to be a surprise after all. But they all waited patiently with their chocolate birthday cake for Sunwoo to get off the phone.

“Sorry, guys.” Sunwoo quickly grinned as he put his phone away, his previous frown completely wiped away. “Did I ruin the surprise?” 

“Doesn’t matter, it’s not like our surprises are really all that ‘surprising’ anyway.” Sangyeon hyung chuckled as they brought the cake into their training room. They had initially planned to start a V-Live too, but given the lack of a surprise had decided against doing it. The celebration proceeded without any further hitch, them singing the song in their usual lively manner.

“So, do you have a mark?” Juyeon asked excitedly. They had a success rate of 0% thus far, but it was nonetheless exciting to ask. Sunwoo in particular had rather mixed feelings about getting a mark, since he had been planning on confessing to a girl he liked in school. 

Sunwoo sighed, reaching a hand up to ruffle his hair in annoyance. There was a flash of yellow from his exposed inner wrist. 

Changmin stared.

“Yeah,” Sunwoo murmured, lowering his wrist to show off his new mark. It was a tiny sun, almost identical to his mark under Changmin’s own collarbone. “It sucks...I told her about it and she rejected me.”

“Fucking soulmate bullshit.” Sunwoo grumbled, plopping down to the ground with the cake still in his hands. “None of us have the soulmate mark, why do I have to get one then?”

Changmin was still staring blankly at the tiny sun on Sunwoo’s wrist. His own mark seemed to burn into his chest. 

He and Sunwoo had identical soulmate marks? 

He and Kim Sunwoo? Were soulmates?

“Hey, doesn’t Changmin have a similar tattoo?” Juyeon’s question seemed to jerk him out of his stupor. Changmin’s gaze quickly flashed between Juyeon’s grin and Sunwoo’s left wrist, before he finally drew his wits together once again.

“Oh, yeah,” he forced out a smile. It didn’t reach his eyes, but it was the best he could muster at the moment. “Am I gonna be a criminal now for mimicking a soulmate mark?” 

His low-effort joke was met with a series of laughs from his group mates. Sunwoo groaned, his palm smacking against his forehead. 

“What am I going to do now?” the younger lamented, half-heartedly cutting into his birthday cake with a plastic knife. “I was going to confess to this girl in my class too...but she just flat out rejected me because of this stupid mark.”

With each word that seems to leave Sunwoo’s lips, Changmin felt his heart sink even deeper into his chest. “Ugh, I just wish I didn’t have a soulmate. Why can’t they just disappear or something? And let me live my own life without ruining everything?”

Ah…

Sunwoo didn’t want a soulmate. 

He didn’t want  _ him _ without even knowing that Changmin was his soulmate. The realisation seemed to push down on the daggers already stabbed deep into his heart, twisting without mercy. 

All of a sudden, Changmin felt bile rise up in his throat and fought the urge to be sick right there and then. With a hurried whisper of an excuse for the bathroom, he fled from their practice room with tears prickling in his eyes and a raw, gaping wound in his chest.

Away from his soulmate Kim Sunwoo, who wanted nothing to do with him.

How foolish Changmin had been, to believe that his own fate would turn out anything like the fairytale love story his parents shared.

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

Despite the initial reaction from Sunwoo, Changmin tried his hardest to act like everything was alright. They were never anything more than friends to begin with, much less romantic soulmates. They had debuted in the same team, lived together in the same dorm and even roomed together after Hyunjoon’s injury. If anything, Changmin simply grew used to the prickly warmth under his collarbone and the erratic thumping in his chest whenever they spent time together be it alone, or as a team. 

Changmin didn’t know whether it was the soulmate thing at work, or simply just his own cursed emotions, but he really could gradually see  _ something  _ taking root in his heart as time went by. Although he still kept this secret of his under wraps, telling no one that his mark was, in fact, a matching soulmate mark to Sunwoo’s, Changmin found himself paying more attention to everything the younger did - his rough sense of humour, the way his eyebrows were always furrowed and his lips set into a permanent pout whenever they were focusing on their performance, or his blinding charisma on stage that seemed to sweep not only their fans, but his members off their feet as well. He and Sunwoo have been close friends to begin with, learning from each other and growing together to become skilled performers in their own rights. Of course, they spent a lot of time together outside of their training sessions and ‘idol life’ too. Along with Chanhee, it always seemed like the two of them were glued at the hip, each one never seen laughing or spending too much time without the other. Changmin treasured Sunwoo like a close dongsaeng in his team and positively adored him. Even if the younger acted as more of the ‘hyung’ in many situations, showing off his more mature and thoughtful side, Changmin felt nothing more but simply at home with Sunwoo’s presence by his side. 

But even as Changmin’s heart betrayed his innermost feelings, nearly jumping out of his chest when Sunwoo reached to brush a stray lock of hair out of his eyes, the words uttered at the 19th birthday celebration were etched deep into his memory. 

_ Oh, I’m really falling for him _ . Changmin realized about a year later, whilst they were out frolicking at the beach with Chanhee, Jacob hyung and Eric. The younger was simply clad in yet another one of his black button-ups, a bucket hat flopping inelegantly over his eyes to hide the mop of maroon-coloured hair. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, a black wristband wrapped around his left wrist, hiding his soulmate mark from plain sight. There was nothing out of the ordinary as he tapped at his phone, his tongue poking out of his plump pink lips as he concentrated on whoever he was texting. But Changmin was enamored by the sight before him, an unnamed voice whispered from deep within his innermost thoughts:  _ Wouldn’t it be so nice to feel how soft those full lips were against his own? To learn into his warm embrace without any reservations and simply stay there, with him? _

“Changmin?” He jerked, so startled his phone nearly fell out of his hands, his keychain clattering noisily against the table. Changmin swiveled around to face Chanhee, positively looking like a deer caught in the headlights. His friend arched an eyebrow at him questioningly. “Did you just zone out?”

_ No, I was just admiring how handsome Sunwoo looked today and was thinking what it would feel like to kiss him.  _

“Yeah, sorry.” Changmin laughed awkwardly, running a hand through his dark brown hair in an attempt to seem more natural. “Been a rough few days.”

Chanhee modded sympathetically before the 5 of them fell into an easy conversation once more. Feeling the sun under his collar burn uncomfortably on his skin, Changmin tried his best to pay as little attention to Sunwoo as possible, joking around with Eric in his usual manner before he gave himself away any further. 

But the revelation seemed to settle uncomfortably under his skin, a strange tingle that suddenly made Changmin incessantly hyper-aware of how he acted and reacted to  _ anything _ that Sunwoo said or did. Usually, he would think nothing of something as simple as leaning in and resting his head on the younger’s shoulder. But being  _ aware _ felt different - it meant different to him too, to catch himself subconsciously gravitating towards the younger whenever they sat side by side. And hard as he tried, he must’ve been acting awfully strange to warrant a confrontation from Jacob hyung.

“Hey, Changmin.” The elder chimed as they fell into step behind the other three after their lunch together. “Are you alright? You seem rather distracted today.”

“Oh? Ah, it's nothing, hyung.” Changmin murmured back, feeling an embarrassed flush creep up his neck. A furtive glance to his side showed that Jacob hyung was not buying his excuse at all. 

“At least, nothing that I can say or do anything about at the moment.” he admitted, his eyes wandering to the black-cladded back of Sunwoo - the origin of all his emotional conflict at the moment. Jacob hyung let out a thoughtful hum from beside him.

“You know, Changmin…” Jacob hyung began with a strange expression on his face. Changmin suddenly felt like he really wouldn’t like what he would hear next. “I’ve always wondered about it…”

“Is your tattoo actually a soulmate mark?” 

Changmin felt his heart drop like a stone as his mind frantically whirred in a dozen different directions, trying to formulate a reply that would save his ass without giving away too much. Disagree and lie to Jacob hyung with this current flustered reaction? Or agree and risk him 100% finding out that Sunwoo was his soulmate? The internal screaming was not helping much with his predicament. 

In the end, he found himself simply staring at Jacob hyung with wide eyes, lips slightly parted in shock. If anything, he had just given the elder the latter option. Changmin cursed inwardly as Jacob hyung too stared at him, jaw slacked as he slowly digested the response he received.

“Guys?” Chanhee’s quizzical tone seemed to snap them both out of their stupor. Changmin quickly moulded his expression into one of falsified nonchalance and prayed his friend was, for once in his entire lifetime, simply assuming that they were just having a dumb moment. And definitely not a life-changing revelation. “What are you two doing?”

“Nothing!” Changmin chimed cheerily, putting on a sickly sweet smile that he knew Chanhee hated. Linking arms with a panicky Jacob hyung, he waved his friend on to continue his conversation with the youngest members. “We’re just messing around.”

When Chanhee finally (praise the heavens) turned back around, Changmin turned to his poor hyung with narrowed eyes. “Hyung, not a word about this or you will suffer 200 times more by upsetting me.”

“We’ll talk back at the dorm then.” Jacob hyung murmured, his eyes softening despite the not-so-subtle threat that Changmin had thrown at him. He could see the pity and understanding in the elder’s gaze and fought down the sudden urge to break down. 

In truth, Changmin had spent the past year or so trying to put aside his childhood faith and desire in the concept of soulmates - he had to get it into his head that his soulmate was never going to accept him and the last thing he wanted to do was to hurt Sunwoo, his teammate and younger brother, for his own selfish means. But every time he saw the dark wristband wrapped around the younger’s wrist, he couldn’t help but feel so sorry for himself for being a foolish and idealistic child. Especially now that he realized  _ he was in love with Sunwoo _ , it felt utterly miserable yet...worth it. Changmin resolved that was simply destined for a life of one-sided pining for the soulmate that couldn’t and would never love him back.

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

When they finally locked themselves in Jacob’s room back at the dorm after a whole day out, Changmin and Jacob hyung sat on the elder’s bed, the former nervously fiddling with his fingers as an uneasy silence settled over them. The occasional bark of roaring laughter or screech only served to accentuate the tension between them.

“So,” Changmin finally signed, risking a brief glance at Jacob hyung. “What do you want to talk about?”

“You’ve known that you were soulmates since his birthday, haven’t you?” The elder went straight to the point, his near-blunt manner making Changmin wince slightly. “And you’ve hidden it from him ever since?”

“I know what you’re thinking, hyung.” Changmin retorted, helplessly aware of the bitterness in his voice. “What right do I have to keep such an important matter from him for so long?”

Jacob hyung nodded wordlessly. Changmin let out an emotionless huff of laughter, allowing himself to flop back against the pillows. He lay there with an arm draped over his eyes for a moment, silence descending over the room once more.

“If you remember what he said the moment he found out about his soulmate mark, maybe you would understand why, hyung.” He finally murmured. If anything, it was better this way. He would eventually come to terms with this and get over his feelings. Soulmate pairs before him had done it before in all those horrid stories he heard from his friends, so why couldn’t he? “I don’t think I can face Sunwoo if he ever finds out.”

The mere mention of the younger ever finding out about them being soulmates and Changmin’s own emotions sent a chill down his spine. He wondered how Sunwoo would react - would he get angry at him for being his soulmate? Or for not telling him anything? Or would this be the end of their friendship? Would their team have to disband for this? Through the million potential scenarios running through his head in that moment, none of them seemed to have better endings than his current option. To never tell his soulmate about this, at least for as long as he could. For the sake of Sunwoo and his team (and for his own selfish reasons, a small snivelly voice whispered inside his head), they had to keep this under wraps.

“You can’t tell anyone, hyung.” Changmin implored, finally taking a good look at Jacob hyung’s reaction. To his surprise, the elder was tearing up and looking at him with the most pitiful expression he’d ever seen someone wear. With a yelp, he threw a pillow (gently, of course) in Jacob hyung’s direction. 

“Hyung?! What are you crying for??”

There was a moment of silence once more, before the ridiculousness of the situation they were in morphed into hilarity and they both broke into short laughing fits. Jacob hyung desperately wiped away the tear streaks on his cheeks as he let out a helpless chortle.

“Wah, Changmin…” Jacob hyung sniffed, before quickly shaking himself back to reality. He offered Changmin a watery smile, but that only served to make him feel even worse about himself. His soulmate story had truly turned into a tear-jerking tale that would bring tears to people’s eyes when they heard about it...how tragic. “I never thought this would happen to one of us.”

“Do you...do you love him?”

Changmin stilled at the sudden question. He did, he was almost positive about it. But there was something about saying it out loud that seemed to cement his fate altogether and he was suddenly very, very afraid of that. Before, it seemed as though he could just ignore his own thoughts but saying them out loud with a witness…

“Yeah,” Changmin breathed shakily, all traces of mirth wiped off his face. There it was, out in the open. Deflating like a leaky balloon, the truth seemed to sap all his remaining energy out of him. He glanced at Jacob hyung blankly. The elder heaved a sigh before nodding in acknowledgment. “Was it that obvious?”

“Now that I think about it, you two were practically inseparable since debut anyway.” Jacob hyung stood up from his spot on the bed. Outside, there was an enraged yell from one of the members, presumably at losing a game or the like. They were still on their short break, after all. The elder reached down and gave Changmin’s shoulder a sympathetic pat. “I promise I’ll keep whatever was said here between us.”

“But Changmin-ah,” he warned. “It is only a matter of time until Sunwoo finds out and when he does…

What are you going to do?”


	2. After the thunderstorm, a rainbow

What he planned to do...Changmin honestly had no idea. But he believed he had more time to mull over things. It had only been over a year and a half since Sunwoo’s soulmark revelation and it wasn’t as though he had hidden this matter for over a decade. He needed more time to reflect on his own unrequited feelings and how to deal with them. So he pushed the matter to the back of his mind and focused on the  _ now _ \- and that was spending time with his team, preparing for their comeback and simply basking in the present, where Sunwoo hated not Changmin but his unknown soulmate.

But things never do turn out the way Changmin planned for them to and he really should’ve known better than to foolishly believe in  _ time _ .

It seemed almost as though the universe was laughing at him when he heard the news from their company representative. Their government, in a harried attempt to raise their world-record breaking low birthrate, now required every registered Korean individual with a soulmate mark to declare it for the authorities to legally matchmake them. Changmin had to bite back an affronted bark of laughter then - as much as most romantic soulmate matches were heterosexual, his wasn’t going to be contributing to the birthrate like their government hoped. 

His mirth was short-lived when their practice session was interrupted by a company representative. The lady handed a manila envelope to Sunwoo wordlessly, ‘Kim Sunwoo’ and ‘Department of Fate’ written in bold at the top. There was a letter sent to each registered ‘soulmate’ which meant...Changmin could only nod mutely in thanks as he too was handed the large envelope, his mouth painfully dry. 

It was no surprise that Sunwoo would get one, but for him to get one as well was not in line with what he had claimed since his trainee days. Changmin could literally feel the eyes of all the other members swivelling towards him even as Sunwoo disinterestedly pulled open the envelope, their gazes burning into the back of his skull. Once the other letter was opened, all his members would gradually place two and two together and Sunwoo...Changmin stared at his name inked on the surface of the envelope for a moment. He had expected his mind to be in turmoil at the prospect of a confrontation like this, but for a brief flash, everything was clear. He needed to get out of here. Before the members found out about everything. 

And so Changmin fled the practice room, ignoring the confused cries of his name from behind him. The manila envelope was crumpled in a death grip by his side. 

Yes, he was a coward. He couldn’t bear to sit by and watch the shock on his members’ expressions morph into understanding and then, pity, just as Jacob hyung had looked at him just a few months ago. Sunwoo’s reaction he feared even more. It was something he could barely even bear to think about, much less force himself to witness on the spot. Just the mere thought of it had his fragile heart already cracking at the seams. Yes, he was just afraid - afraid that he was going to lose everything he had worked so hard for in an instant, because of this  _ stupid letter from the damned Department of Fate…! _

Changmin didn’t return to the dorm that day. Not yet; he couldn’t face his members and couldn’t - didn’t want to - accept the reality of his situation. He continued wandering aimlessly through the familiar and unfamiliar streets around their dorm until he found himself sitting at the bus stop outside their former company building. It was the same one where he always caught the last bus back home during his trainee days, before he lived at the dorm. Years ago, Changmin had seen a soulmate pair identify each other at this very location, although he never stayed to find out whether they were a successful match or not.

At the thought, Changmin’s lips slowly curved upwards into a wry smile.  _ How ironic _ , he thought with a sigh,  _ that I am here for the exact same reason. _ This time, he hadn’t stayed to find out about the outcome either. 

It felt like an eternity and simultaneously like no time at all as Changmin sat at the bus stop, lost in his thoughts. The vehicles and passerbys paid him no mind and neither did he them as they went about their own paths, each party too wrapped up in the hectivity of their own lives. All Changmin could really think about was Sunwoo and felt acutely the fear of what was to come. He didn’t know how long had passed since he fled the practice room but judging from the fading daylight, it was enough time for his members to put two and two together. If they hadn’t already realized that Changmin’s ‘tattoo’ was not actually what he claimed it to be, no doubt Jacob hyung would eventually cave in and spill out the truth. He would rather not be there for all that. In fact, they would probably kick him out of the group for hiding such a large issue from them. Soulmates in the same group? It was already difficult enough for someone with a soulmate mark in the idol industry, much less with the stigma already associated with a soulmate pair. 

As the last dregs of red and orange hues disappeared from the rapidly darkening sky, Changmin stared at his fingers with a sinking heart.  _ Should he head back to the dorm? _ He briefly wondered.  _ Or catch the bus back to his family with his tail between his legs, too ashamed to face the reality of his situation? _ Neither option was really appealing to him. 

“Changmin! Ji Changmin!”

At the sound of his name, Changmin jerked upwards, swivelling around to find the source of the voice. His face paled as soon as he confirmed the identity of its owner. Jacob hyung was sprinting towards him, a mix of relief and frustration written on his features. How did he know to come here?

“I finally found you!” The elder heaved as soon as he came to a stop in front of Changmin. “We’ve been looking everywhere, thank goodness you’re here.”

The members were looking for him? What for? So that they could kick him out of the team together? Changmin could feel the bile rise in his throat at the mere thought, his fears and worries suddenly manifesting as a horrible, unavoidable reality before him. 

At the lack of a response, Jacob hyung finally looked up as his teammate, only to find him staring back at him wide-eyed and frozen on the spot. His features softened ever-so-slightly in understanding as he reached forward to tug at Changmin’s trembling fingers.

“Hey, Changmin are you alright?” The elder asked with a frown. “I know it's scary but...the members want to have a talk.”

“What is there left for me to say?” Changmin sighed, willing himself to get control of his emotions before he accidentally vented his frustration at his sweetest hyung or burst into tears, or both. 

“Just come back, Changmin.” Jacob hyung murmured, tugging at his hand once more, firmly this time. “We’re all waiting for you back at the dorm...Sunwoo is waiting for you too.”

Sunwoo...Changmin sucked in a deep breath. Did his soulmate hate him now? For ruining his chances at dating and possibly marriage in future simply because of a stupid mark they shared? What was to happen to The Boyz now? He supposed he would never find out unless he went and faced the inevitable. Better to bite the bullet instead of constantly running away from his fears and inner turmoil. Plus, it would do none of them any good to part on such terms - with no loose ends tied up. With yet another deep sigh of resignation, Changmin steeled himself for the worst. Yes, he was afraid but he also wanted everyone to be happy and not in this miserable mess. He just wanted  _ Sunwoo _ to be happy. 

The moment he agreed and started to follow Jacob hyung back to their dorm, Changmin immediately began to regret his decision. Always the overthinker, he couldn’t help the millions of different possible reactions that the members would have towards him that raced through his mind. If his hyung felt the palm in his grip become increasingly sweaty in a matter of seconds, he didn’t comment on it. But he had committed to it and now, he just had to physically and mentally prepare himself to face everyone and especially his...soulmate.

At their dorm, the members were already gathered in their living room, the usual spot for their daily 5-minute talks. They really should call them 1-hour talks instead for greater accuracy, Changmin mused before his heart sank again. This could be the last time he would be having this sort of conversation with his members ever again. And it hurt, even if it was for their benefit. When Jacob hyung finally appeared with him in tow, all 10 heads swiveled in his direction, each a mix of different emotions. There was joy, relief, confusion and even anger. But at that moment, Changmin seemed to only be able to see one person acutely - his reaction was what mattered the most to him, anyway. Sunwoo’s face was pale as he fawned nervously on his bottom lip, eyes flitting between meeting Changmin’s own and darting across different spots of the room. It was like he was both trying to look only at him, but simultaneously looking at everywhere  _ but _ him. 

“Changmin, we’re glad you’re safe.” Sangyeon hyung began solemnly, drawing everyone’s attention in his usual composed manner once the newcomers had settled down. Changmin opted to remain standing. This was literally his second home but at the moment...it did not feel as much of a safe space as it used to. Perhaps it was Eric’s constant frown, or the way Chanhee kept glaring at him from beside Sunwoo with this intense look of  _ disapproval _ . “I think we all have come to our own conclusions, but we would like to hear a more detailed explanation from you.”

“What do you want me to say? I have no excuse to make you feel better.” Changmin sighed quietly. At Sangyeon hyung’s pointed look, he relented and set about telling them about his soulmate mark. He didn’t know what overcame him, but there were many things he’d rather not be said that he revealed to his members - from the moment he found out about the mark, to Sunwoo’s 19th birthday, why he hid it from everyone and especially to Sunwoo himself. Changmin fought the urge to cry as he gradually peeled away the lies he had wrapped his entire soul in, leaving himself raw and vulnerable for his members to see. It wasn’t something he intended to do, but he was tired of hiding and being so afraid of anyone finding out. The words spilled past his lips in an unending flood and it wasn’t until he caught himself confessing his feelings for Sunwoo when he came to an abrupt halt, chest heaving from exertion. The silence and shocked expressions that he was met with were both comforting and terrifying at the same time. 

“I can see why you did what you did, Changmin-ah…” Sangyeon hyung finally murmured after a moment’s silence. “And we will never kick you out for this...you are much more to us and the team as a whole than a soulmate mark. So please don’t think like that…” 

Changmin would have shed tears of sweet relief there and then at his leader’s words. He wasn’t sure if it was simply placating him, but that was good enough for the moment. Whatever comes his way later would be an issue for future Changmin to deal with. For now, he was here to stay. 

“Honestly, Kim Sunwoo, how could you say something like that?” Hyunjae hyung half-chided in a lighthearted manner. “Was that girl really worth the trouble?”

A pale pink flush made its presence known on Sunwoo’s cheeks as he tried to gather a less flustered response to Hyunjae hyung’s accusation. 

“I have never taken a good look at Changmin hyung’s mark, how would I know mine was the same?” He protested, a pout forming on his lips.  _ Cute _ , Changmin thought distractedly, staring at the younger in a momentary daze. “Besides, I-“

Sunwoo bit his lip as he turned to face Changmin once more, with a conflicted expression on his face. He was immediately pulled out of his daze, his cheeks heating up at being caught staring. “H-hyung, let me date you? I can take you out to a nice place-“

In the million different scenarios his overactive mind had come up with during his trip back to the dorm, Changmin had thought about the many different ways Sunwoo would respond to him and in return, how he could react. Screaming betrayal at him, anger, hatred, tears? They were all what Changmin had deemed plausible reactions - but no way was he prepared for this one. It has never even occurred to him that Sunwoo would jump to such...conclusions. Here he was, leaving his lonely heart open and bleeding for everyone to see, yet Sunwoo…

The younger had been so resentful against his soulmate (against  _ Changmin’s existence _ ) just over a year ago, but immediately had a change of mind and decided to ‘date’ because of this revelation. Changmin had spent one year with his mind in turmoil even as he slowly fell for his soulmate. And as much as they were good friends to begin with, just realizing that Changmin was his soulmate didn’t mean that Sunwoo was automatically going to fall in love with him. And Changmin couldn’t help but feel rather resentful that the younger was, in the best way possible, so helplessly  _ naive _ about how emotions worked in a soulmate bond. It hurt to know that there was a large chance that Sunwoo was just deluding himself that they had to be together because of the ‘soulmate concept’. He wasn’t going to have any of that - not if the younger was going to end up unhappy with him in the end. 

“Sunwoo,” Changmin interrupted sharply, watching him flinch at the hard tone in his voice. “Stop trying to make up for your guilt or pity for me. You don’t have to oblige to this whole soulmate crap.”

“But hyung, aren’t we soulmates? What-”

“How many soulmates do you know that have ended up together successfully just like that?” Changmin interrupted, unable to keep the venom out of his voice. Sunwoo visibly shrunk - he knew his words rang true. Changmin too had been so naive, believing that soulmates were automatically going to end up in a loving relationship because they were fated, destined - irrevocably  _ linked  _ by that mark seared into both of their skins. But after hearing so many stories that ended up very differently from his parents’ and even experiencing it first hand, Changmin grew to resent his younger self.

“Feelings can’t change in an instant, Sunwoo-ah. You have to understand that. Don’t pretend you love me just to make me feel better.” The last part ended in a hushed whisper, as Changmin tried to choke back the helpless tears of frustration and anger brimming in his eyes. Sunwoo wasn’t taking his feelings seriously, and that hurt  _ a lot _ . He knew the younger and his other members could tell as much too. “Not all soulmate bonds are romantic anyway.”

With a slightly bitter smile, Changmin chose to retreat back to his  _ shared _ room with Sunwoo and Kevin, unable to bear the hurt and confused expression on his soulmate’s face, or the sympathetic glances from the rest any longer. Even as he shut the door with more force than he intended, there was nothing else he could do but crawl under his blankets and bury his face into the familiar comfort of his sheets (after taking a very quick shower, of course, pointedly ignoring the concerns from his members). 

That night, Changmin lay awake in his corner of the room, his mind far too active and in too sorry a state to give him any rest. There was a point in time, he could no longer keep track exactly when, that Sunwoo finally crawled into his own bed, the telltale sniffles telling Changmin that he had been crying. His heart hurt no less, since he had been the cause of all that pain. But Changmin was hurt too, so he made no move to do anything. It was when all the lights finally went out in the dorm and Sunwoo began to whisper a thousand apologies to him, that Changmin could not hold back his tears any longer and tried to muffle his sobs as he cried into his pillow. It had been a while since he had a mental breakdown like this in the presence of his members, even if it was in the dead of the night. 

If anything, the silence of the night was a good opportunity for Changmin to gather his thoughts and put everything that happened the day before behind him. Or at least, as much as he could. There was still a lingering twinge of despair whenever Sunwoo ran across his mind (which was, unfortunately, quite frequently), but it was the best he could do. 

“Let’s pretend that yesterday never happened, Sunwoo.” Changmin declared as he stood up from his bed, without so much a second glance at his roommate. “It will be better for both of us.”

They both had more important things to worry about anyway. Like their comeback, which was barely a month away. Changmin’s expression was scarily blank even as he took a seat at the dining table with his bowl of cereal and milk for breakfast. It seemed almost as though everything was back to normal, that nothing ever happened. Hyunjae and Eric even took the opportunity to joke around with Changmin to lighten up the mood, which he reacted well to. To the other members, especially the older ones, this was something worrying - they knew that Changmin was always the kind of person to keep things to himself, only exploding at the last minute when he could no longer hold back anymore. But even Jacob hyung was mildly afraid of disturbing this momentary ceasefire between the soulmates, especially since they all had little to no experience dealing with such a fragile topic. So the others silently agreed to continue as per usual, making sure to keep a lookout for Changmin and Sunwoo. 

Changmin knew he could only do so much to keep his mind off things, especially since this matter had been disturbing him ever since he first realized that his soulmate hated him. The confrontation and everything after had simply escalated the confusion and frustration that he felt. In order to make up for this huge distraction lingering in the back of his mind, Changmin threw himself into practice and preparations for their latest comeback. It was their most important one yet, riding off their high from winning their competition earlier that year. He knew everyone on their team was desperately hoping for their big breakthrough with this comeback and he really couldn’t afford to let his personal matters affect his team. 

The other members could only watch helplessly as their Main Dancer worked himself to the bone and pushed them harder than ever too, determined to excel for this comeback. Their performance was perfected to the smallest detail, but even this level of satisfaction did not meet Changmin’s standards. He knew his members were worried for him and they too were exhausted by his demands, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself from wanting  _ more, more, more and more _ . Especially since he had been given this chance to stay in their team and pursue his dream for longer. Every time he caught Sunwoo’s guilt-ridden and distressed gaze in the mirror, it only fueled him to do better, work harder and prove himself to be stronger than the burning mark under his collarbone. For the sake of his team, and for his soulmate. 

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

Changmin never knew when to stop himself and take a breather, not until it was too late. 

It was only after Sunwoo got injured during their first broadcast for their comeback and was told to lay off choreography for the next 3 weeks when the dam finally broke. Changmin was halfway through rearranging their formations after their first few recordings with Sunwoo, with another one due in 4 hours. Their teachers were all caught up with other activities and unable to reach on such a short notice to help change their choreography in time for the recording, so it was now up to Juyeon and himself. To be honest, he was half out of his mind worrying for Sunwoo, who had just gotten back from the hospital with a worrying health status that Changmin really had no time to find out more about. And try as he might, he simply could not push away the anxiety clawing at his chest and brain as his eyes drifted to where the younger was hunched in a seating position, fussed over by the older members. 

All of them were already sleep-deprived, given the awful pre-recording schedule they had to follow for the music shows, but with the additional physical and mental strain that Changmin had (intentionally and unintentionally) brought upon himself, he could not hold on for much longer. In fact, even as he tried his best to match the steps to their title song with Juyeon to figure out their team’s formations, he could feel his grip on reality fading. He was just so tired, so worried and so, so-

Changmin felt the world spin around him as he forced out yet another move, before it suddenly stilled. The next thing he knew, he found himself in a crumpled heap on the floor, his breath coming in heaving pants as he lost control of the emotions he had been suppressing for far, far too long. The tears came first, followed by choked sobs that seemed to rip themselves free from the confines of his chest.  _ Oh, _ Changmin thought numbly as he stared at the expanse of the floor in front of him.  _ Why can’t I stop myself? The choreography…! _ His mind seemed to catch up with the stakes associated with his mental breakdown and with the exhaustion in his mind replaced by the acute fear of  _ failure _ , a jumble of apologies joined the sobs spilling past his lips.

He could register his members' worried murmurs from around him, gentle touches on his shoulder to attempt to break him out of his ‘episode’. But despite the others’ best efforts, Changmin remained inconsolable for a long time, blubbering constant ‘sorry’s between cries as he rocked back and forth on his heels. It was hard having to see someone they always saw as a solid rock for them to rely on to crumble like this as a result of the pressure from dealing issues with his soulmate bond on top of their comeback. Perhaps they should have done something to intervene, but each were all dealing with their own demons and Changmin had understood that enough to not want to burden them with his own troubles. 

Changmin didn’t know how much time he spent on the floor of their practice room when a warm body pushed him onto his back and laid on top of him. A pair of arms snaked around his waist as he stared up at the ceiling, his vision blurred by the tears pooling in the corners of his eyes. The weight was almost comforting, in some strange way. It took a while, Changmin could tell, both he and this member laying on the floor unmoving save the rise and fall of their chests but his cries gradually subsided till they were just tears streaking silently down his face.

When his vision finally cleared, Changmin finally had the state of mind to register  _ who _ exactly it was that had comforted him in this manner. 

“Sunwoo…” he hummed questioningly. Wasn’t he injured? Could he lie down so easily like this? Didn’t it hurt him? Panic gradually filled his veins as he put two and two together. “Kim Sunwoo! Are you not worsening your injury like this?!”

“I thought you didn’t care about me anymore,” the younger mumbled under his breath. Changmin heard it loud and clear anyway, given their current proximity. How could he not care?

“You’re my teammate and dongsaeng - you’re stupid if think for one second that I don’t care.” He chided with an angry huff, helping the younger up into a more comfortable seating position with a chair. In fact, he cared far too much for his own good. He was about to go out of his mind with worry if Sunwoo pulled something like that again and risked his own health. The other members had left the practice room, he realized. Perhaps it was for his own comfort, or otherwise. But now it was just him and Sunwoo. Lying on top of each other. On the floor. 

Ignoring the heat rising to his cheeks, Changmin let out an awkward cough, trying his best to avoid making eye contact with the younger. 

“Thanks,” he finally murmured, standing up to leave and get the other members back into the room. He couldn’t stand the silence between the two of them any longer. 

“Wait, hyung.” Sunwoo’s voice interrupted him. Changmin halted, throwing a hesitant look over his shoulder. “I asked them to leave.”

He remained silent. Sunwoo wanted to get just the two of them alone? Why? Ever since he was found out and had ‘the Talk’, Changmin tried his best to avoid a one-on-one conversation with the younger, although they maintained their former playful exchanges in larger group settings. Perhaps Sunwoo had finally realized too. It was simply too difficult for him to pretend that everything was alright and nothing had happened between them without anyone else to distract him from the all-too-familiar burn under his collar. 

“Hyung...can we talk? Properly? We have never had the chance to.”

“We have nothing we need to talk about.” Changmin knew his tone was unusually sharp, but not even the wince Sunwoo made was enough for him to wish he took it back. 

“Jacob hyung told me about what you said. How long you waited, and...what I said then.” This caught Changmin’s attention. To be fair, between the two of them, he had always preferred to deliver things in a nicely packaged way and tended to beat around the bush, while Sunwoo was always blunt and straight to the point. He couldn’t help but feel rather resentful towards Jacob hyung for caving in after so long, but he supposed the elder just wanted what was best for him and the team. To resolve this ‘conflict’, which didn’t even need resolving in the first place, in Changmin’s opinion. “I’m sorry I came off that way. I wasn’t thinking when I said that.”

“Yeah, no shit.” Changmin snorted, his lips curling up in the slightest as he let out a small huff of laughter. At that, Sunwoo’s expression seemed to light up - his hyung wasn’t mad at him? “But it still showed your innermost and earnest thoughts about your soulmate.” 

At that, the younger’s face fell once more and Changmin allowed himself to admit that he missed seeing that sunny, bright expression directed at him. It made his heart itch and his lips unwillingly twitch upwards too. 

“Yeah…” Sunwoo laughed nervously, staring at his fingers. “Honestly, I don’t know how I feel at the moment, but what I do know is that...I would like to try, hyung. 

At Changmin’s lack of a response, he persisted. “Let’s see if we are really romantic or platonic soulmates, at least for me. Maybe I’m just too naive and inexperienced to differentiate between the two.” 

“Can you give me a chance?” Sunwoo held his breath as he watched the cogs in Changmin’s brain turn. He would understand if the elder refused to forgive him - after Changmin confessed, he had basically flat out neglected the other’s own feelings and simply took advantage of the knowledge that they were soulmates. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t hope. His emotions had been a mess ever since he had found out that he and Changmin were soulmates, but after trying his best to sort them out...he wanted to confirm some of his thoughts. 

Changmin bit his lip as he weighed the factors. In truth, he knew that ultimately he was definitely going to accept. After years of knowing Sunwoo, he had always had a soft spot for the younger, even before discovering they were soulmates and ultimately falling in love with him. Sure, he’d grumble and whine but he would always give in to whatever Sunwoo wanted. Whatever would bring a smile and laughter to him. Changmin had already gotten hurt so many times and he was honestly so, so tired of having to deal with the constant emotional pain whenever he took a glance at his soulmate’s covered wrist. But this was Sunwoo, offering him a slim chance that he could have the happy ending that he had always wanted, with the person he loved and was fated with. Even if he had never been known as a risk-taker, this was one he’d be willing to take a leap of faith with, for one last time. 

Changmin shut his eyes tiredly, and after just a second’s hesitation, he jumped. 

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

Changmin would be lying if he claimed he wasn’t afraid. Afraid that after a few weeks or months or so of ‘trying’, Sunwoo would realize that he didn’t feel the same. That they were simply platonic soulmates and Changmin’s own feelings were on his own accord, condemning him to an eternity of pining. He loved Kim Sunwoo, his soulmate. But if Sunwoo didn’t love him back...would he be able to keep sacrificing his own happiness for the sake of his soulmate’s? They may be destined to remain in each other’s lives, but Changmin decided he wouldn’t be able to stand seeing Sunwoo with someone that wasn’t him.

Every date they went out on, there was always this nagging feeling of unease in the back of his brain. He couldn’t help but feel that although he was having the time of his life with Sunwoo, this was short-lived and his soulmate could pull the plug out of him at any moment. But even with this constant worry, Changmin tried his best to make the best out of these few months. He kept his distance from Sunwoo, not wanting to pressure him into doing anything too quickly. Here was one too many times where he had caught himself staring at the younger, or subconsciously glances at his lips whenever they stood shoulder to shoulder. It was like just the two of them hanging out on the regular, except to both of them, it meant something  _ different _ . To Changmin, there was something between them that just  _ clicked _ and he desperately hoped the younger felt the same.

Two months later was Changmin’s birthday. Despite it being in the middle of their album promotions, Sunwoo still declared that they were going out after their schedules for the day - the dog cafe that Changmin had been going on and on about for the entire year about wanting to visit, but never really having the time or energy to do so with their activities all lined up one after the next. 

To be honest, Changmin hadn’t expected anything special that day, particularly for his birthday. The members had already celebrated both events together with Sangyeon hyung’s the day before, complete with a scrumptious dinner and cake. So when Sunwoo dragged him to their favourite Dak-galbi restaurant, he didn’t suspect anything at all.

“Hyung…” Changmin looked up, cheeks still puffed up from his mouthful of savoury chicken. Sunwoo was clearly nervous, gnawing at his bottom lip. Well, this was clearly a serious matter. He chewed down whatever food he had left as fast as he could. 

“Yeah?”

“I’ve been thinking about the past few months a lot,” Sunwoo began, eyes darting between his plate of barely-touched food and Changmin’s own. “Spending more time with you and just testing the waters.”

Changmin gave an encouraging hum in response, despite the quickening of his own heartbeat. This was it. Sunwoo was going to tell him whether they had forever, or never again.

“And I think because we’ve already known each other as The Boyz for so long and have been as close as brothers, I care about you more than any friends I’ve ever known in my entire life.” The younger paused, licking his lips hesitantly. Changmin’s gaze was instantly drawn to them, much to his own chagrin. “Soulmates or not, I just…”

In that moment, the world seemed to still and he held his breath in response, waiting for the final killing blow. Sunwoo let out a slow sigh, before leaning forward and propping his chin up with his arm. They stared at each other for a moment, the tension thick in the air. It seemed as though both of them were simply anticipating the same words that were to be said next, one desperately hoping and the other, waiting to deliver. 

“I love you, hyung.” Sunwoo finally murmured, his gaze earnest and wide. “I really do.”

_ He loves…!  _

Changmin took a glance at those dark brown pools, and he believed them. A bright smile snuck its way onto his face, himself helpless to resist. In that moment, it was contagious, the younger’s anxious expression breaking into one of sweet relief. 

“That’s a relief,” Changmin breathed, appreciating the fresh oxygen that could finally enter his lungs, free of the constant ‘what-ifs’ and ‘maybes’. “You have no idea how fucking thrilled I am.”

“I could kiss you right here and now.” He chuckled, intending to lighten the mood. Even if the words did ring true for him (he really, really wanted to - he had been waiting for far too long to do so), he knew he shouldn’t push his boundaries any further.

What he didn’t expect was for Sunwoo’s eyes to glaze over slightly, a faint flush painting his cheeks and ears.

“Why don’t you?” The younger challenged, lips upturned in a small smirk. It widened into a grin as Changmin’s breath audibly hitched at the unexpected response. He stared at those plump, pink lips, then back at Sunwoo’s determined gaze.  _ This gremlin is going to be the end of me, _ he swore. 

After a moment’s hesitation, Changmin leaned forward slightly. With Sunwoo still leaning forward against the table, all he needed to do was to tilt his head in the right angle. The younger swallowed, before allowing his eyes to flutter shut. Changmin took a moment to himself to appreciate the view, savouring this image of Sunwoo before him - the way his eyelashes fanned over his cheeks delicately, the sharpness of his nose and the soft curve of his lips, up close. 

The mark under his collarbone seemed to burn just the slightest, almost in anticipation.

_ Finally, _ he thought to himself as he closed the gap between them. 

_ My soulmate _ .

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

The new year arrived and they bid 2020 goodbye with a sentimental celebration - for all that their team has achieved in the past year and for Sunwoo, finally opening his eyes to his soulmate, who had been by his side for years but he had simply been too blind to see. 

Their matching marks had always been kept well under wraps since debut, that is until they performed a particular stage on their competition with a more...mature concept. A low-cut V-neck coupled with Changmin’s passionate performance revealed more than what he expected, much to both Sunwoo and Changmin’s annoyance. Not wanting to lie to their fans, he told his company to reveal that it was in fact, a soulmate mark. 

In an instant, the internet blew up - it had been years since an idol or celebrity had shown their soulmate mark, albeit accidentally in Changmin’s case. Their fandom went a little bit crazier than he would have liked to admit about the mark, speculating about various other idols or about his personal friends. To make matters worse, he started receiving news about false soulmate marks and subsequent marriage proposals, obsessed people trying to take advantage of his position as a public figure to put him in the spot. Thankfully, he already knew who his soulmate was. He told his team as much when they expressed their concern over the excessive attention, instead directing their focus back to their competition and the stages to come. 

The incident faded to the back of Changmin’s mind once the hecticness of their schedules caught up with him once more. So imagine his surprise when Sangyeon hyung called an emergency team meeting before one of their dance practices, with Sunwoo unable to hide the smirk written all over his face. 

“What’s going on?” Changmin wondered as they settled down on the couch at the company building. “Don’t we have dance practice in...thirty minutes?”

“Hyung, have you checked Twitter?” Eric piped up from beside his soulmate. He too was grinning devilishly. “The internet is going crazy again.”

Twitter…? He had been too busy with his own practice session earlier to check.

On opening the app, he immediately identified the source of all the drama. 

“Kim Sunwoo, what the fuck?” Changmin couldn’t help but let out a giggle, despite the potential seriousness of the situation. There, in all its unmasked glory, was a picture of him and Sunwoo grinning at each other on one of their earlier dates, their matching marks visible to the camera. It was one of his personal favourite pictures, and the younger had posted it  _ publicly _ on their official account for the entire world to see with the caption ‘Back off, he’s mine.’ complete with an angry emoticon. He glanced at the perpetrator with poorly hidden laughter. “Could you at least have given me some form of a warning? My heart cannot take this kind of cheesiness.”

“Sorry, hyung.” Sunwoo pouted, without a single ounce of apologeticness in his expression.  _ Cute. _ “Everyone keeps trying to get into your pants, I got really jealous.”

“How are we supposed to deal with this now?” Sangyeon hyung groaned. “The company is going to murder me because of you, Sunwoo!”

“Hey! It was Eric’s idea, not mine!”

“But you acted on it! I just put that thought in your head!”

Amidst the beginnings of a catfight in the background, Changmin continued scrolling through Twitter, noting their fans’ reactions. Most of them seemed positive, with the usual few bad apples polluting the atmosphere. Interestingly enough, ‘SUNKYU’ was one of the top trending tags on the site.

“The reactions seem positive thus far, guys.” He laughed, unable to worry about anything at the moment - not with the giddy feeling he had gotten from the sudden overprotectiveness of his soulmate. “Let’s not think too much about it yet and get to practice.”

There was a chorus of groans from his members as they clambered out of the comfort of the sofa and in the direction of their practice room, as per the direction of their ‘Dance Teacher’. Changmin gave himself a second to relish in the feeling, reaching out to pull Sunwoo into a very brief but nonetheless passionate kiss. With a final pat to his butt, Changmin joined the rest of his team, leaving the slightly dazed younger trailing behind him.

_ All will be well _ , he thought as they began their practice proper, easing back into the familiar mental state.

_ After going through the storm, there is only sweetness that awaits us. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After this, The Boyz blow up even more and everyone finally discovers the talent that they have been missing out on. They eventually go on to win Kingdom and finally reach the level of success they deserve.


End file.
